Ballerina
Princess
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Words in red are
personalized words
Note: Story shown here may not be exact.
The Ballerina Princess was made especially for Elyssa Bailey Age 8 with love from Mom and Dad Springtime was
always an especially beautiful time of year in New
Hampshire. Flowers were blooming, the sun was warm and bright, and
everything just seemed new and fresh! Best of all, it was time for Elyssa's ballet class to perform their annual ballet,
"The Ballerina Princess." This year the leading role was going to be
performed by a very famous ballerina! 4 Miss
Michele, their
instructor, would soon assign parts to everyone. There were dancing parts for
birds, flowers, insects and butterflies. Elyssa,
and her friends, Katie, Kristin, and Kelley,
couldn't wait to see what parts they were going to play. They had worked very
hard practicing their pirouettes, pliés and turns for this special performance.
7 Elyssa's class warmed up
by carefully stretching their legs, backs and necks so they would stand tall
and straight. They watched themselves in the mirrors as they performed their
warm up exercises at the barre, and went through five of their ballet positions. 8 Elyssa practiced very hard every
day. She watched all of the lead ballerina’s movements with special interest. Elyssa secretly hoped that one day she would be
performing as the lead ballerina. 11 Katie watched what Elyssa was doing and
teased her about it. Katie asked Elyssa, "Why do
you practice the lead ballerina’s part as well as your own?" "Because next year I hope to be the
Ballerina Princess," Elyssa answered. "If
I practice all year, next spring I will be ready for the part." 12 Miss
Michele asked
everyone to perform a short routine to help her decide which part to assign to
them. Katie
stepped into position. She twirled
across the room as the others watched and waited their turn. 15 Next it was Kelley's turn. She performed one pirouette after
another without once losing her balance or getting dizzy. Then Elyssa went through a short routine they had learned
in class. She especially impressed Miss Michele
with her graceful arabesque and the way she kept her toes so perfectly pointed.
Miss
Michele was
very proud of all her students. It was obvious that everyone had been
practicing very hard at home. "We are going to have a wonderful spring
performance because all of you dance so well," she told them. 16 Then she announced
the roles for the dancers as she showed the costumes they would be
wearing. Everyone already knew the
Ballerina Princess would be played this year by a former student who had become
a famous ballerina. Elyssa and Katie would
be butterflies. Kristin would be a blue bird and
another one of the girls would play the role of a caterpillar. All the dancers
were happy about their parts as they left for the day. 19 That night, all the
little dancers called their families and friends to invite them to attend the
performance. Elyssa called Aunt Elaine and Uncle Bob. 20 Each afternoon Elyssa, Katie, Kristin, and Kelley joined the other
dancers to rehearse their roles for the upcoming recital. Everyone worked hard
to learn their parts and Elyssa continued to
practice the part of the Ballerina Princess. 23 The weeks went by
very quickly. On the day before the
performance, they gathered for dress rehearsal. The lead ballerina entered the studio looking very pale. Suddenly, the lead ballerina sneezed. She sneezed again and again. Miss
Michele stepped
over and asked, "What is the problem?" "I think I am
coming down with the flu," said the lead ballerina. "I'm very sad
because I don’t want to let everyone down and there is no time for anyone to
learn my part." 24 A hush came over
the class as Miss Michele exclaimed, "What
in the world can we do?" Just then Kelley
shouted, "But Miss Michele, Elyssa knows all the moves of the Ballerina Princess.
She has practiced them every night on her own." All eyes turned to Elyssa. 27 "Is that
correct, Elyssa?" asked Miss Michele. "Yes, it
is," replied Elyssa, a little embarrassed
by the attention but happy at the same time. "I have practiced every night
in hopes that by next year I would be chosen as the Ballerina Princess." "Well, Elyssa," said Miss
Michele, "you now have the part of the Ballerina
Princess!" For the rest of the day
the dress rehearsal continued with Elyssa in the
lead. There was one less butterfly in the garden, but everyone was happy to
spend the extra time to work on the changes. 28 The big day finally
arrived. Elyssa's performance was perfect. The
entire crowd full of family and friends gave a standing ovation to the dancers.
Elyssa, Katie, Kristin, Kelley and the other
girls in the dance curtsied as flowers were brought onto the stage. 31 Elyssa was the
heroine of the night and the star performer in the ballet. All of her hard work
and practice had paid off! What an unforgettable day this was . . . the day
Elyssa became The Ballerina Princess. 32 Some Ballet Steps 1. Battement tendu(baht-mohn-than-du) One foot slides out from the closed
position, with toes never leaving the floor, until the toes point. 2. Plié (plee-ay) A bending movement of the
knees. 3. Arabesque penchée(ah-ra-besk phan-shay)
Dancer stands on one leg, lifting the other straight up behind. 4. Pirouette (peer-un-wet) Dancer spins around
on one leg. 5. Pas de chant (pah-duh-shah) Small jumps
close to the ground carrying the dancer from one spot to another. Page 36 Feet Positions 1. First position. With heels touching, point toes to the outside forming a straight
line. 2. Second position. Toes still pointing out with feet about 8 to 10 inches apart. 3. Third position. One foot slides in front of the other with the heel touching the
middle of the other foot. 4. Fourth position. One foot directly in front of the other, about one short step
apart. 5. Fifth position. One foot is flat against the other with heel of front foot at the
joint of the toe of the back foot.
Ethnic and African American versions show girls with dark skin and hair.